SYDNEY – Former Slippery Rock University women's soccer standout Sofia Harrison was officially named to the FIFA Women's World Cup roster when the Philippine Women's National Team announced its 23-member roster during an event Sunday in Australia.
 
Harrison, a 2021 SRU graduate, becomes the first Slippery Rock soccer player to ever be named to a World Cup roster. Of the 137 current or former NCAA women's soccer players on World Cup rosters, Harrison is the only player to come from a non-Division I program.
 
A starting left back for the "Filipinas," Harrison will make her World Cup debut July 21 against Switzerland in a match that will be played in Dunedin, New Zealand. That match will also mark the first World Cup match in the history of the Philippine Women's National Team, which qualified this year for the first time ever.
 
"This is such an incredible moment for Sofia and we are so proud of her," said Jessica Giegucz, SRU head women's soccer coach. "It is so rare to have the chance to play in the World Cup, especially for a Division II player. To be able to say we have a representative from Slippery Rock that will be competing in the biggest soccer event in the world is truly amazing. We wish her and the Filipinas the best of luck."
 
The FIFA Women's World Cup will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20. The Filipinas have been drawn into Group A with co-host New Zealand, along with Switzerland and Norway. All of the Filipinas group stage games will be played in New Zealand.
 
Harrison was a virtual lock to make the final 23-member roster for the World Cup after establishing herself as the starting left back for the Filipinas during World Cup qualifying and their current climb up the FIFA World Rankings. She has made 34 appearances for the Filipinas and has helped the team climb to its highest ever position in the world rankings at No. 46.
 
In addition to her national team appearances, Harrison has also been active as a professional club player since graduating from Slippery Rock. Most recently, she finished a stint in the Bundesliga in Germany, where she played for SV Werder Bremen before joining the Far East United club for "The Soccer Tournament" earlier this summer.
 
Harrison graduated from Slippery Rock in 2021 with a degree in exercise science. She started every game on defense at The Rock during the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons, playing in 56 straight games and helping SRU to the 2019 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title. Harrison tallied a career-high seven goals and 16 points from her defensive position during the 2019 season. She missed out on the opportunity to play her senior year due to the pandemic.
 
The Filipinas World Cup schedule for group play, including television coverage information for each match, can be found below. To advance to the knockout stages, the Filipinas, which are the lowest ranked team in their group, must finish in the top two in the Group A standings. Norway is the highest ranked team in the group at No. 12 in the latest FIFA World Rankings. Switzerland is ranked No. 20 and New Zealand is ranked No. 26.
 
You can follow the Filipinas on social media during the World Cup on Twitter (@PilipinasWNFT) and on Instagram (@pilipinaswnt). You can also follow Harrison on Instagram (@sofiaharrison16).

FILIPINAS WORLD CUP GROUP A SCHEDULE

DATE	TIME (ET)	OPPONENT	LIVE TV COVERAGE
Friday, July 21	1 a.m.	Switzerland	Fox Sports 1 (FS1)
Tuesday, July 25	1:30 a.m.	New Zealand	Fox Sports 1 (FS1)
Sunday, July 30	3 a.m.	Norway	Fox Sports 1 (FS1)

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